USEFUL PADLOCK.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 203, 28 August 1934, Page 14

USEFUL PADLOCK.

PREVENTION OF THEFT.

Sometimes it is not possible to leave a car with the doors locked, and' thus the cautious owner inclines to the use of such theft-preventives as the gearlever locking device or a key-6\vitch in the ignition circuit. On 'ithe other hand, it is advantageous in a public garage to prevent the car being unnecessarily moved or entered, and in this case locking the car doors has its appeal.

For these and other contingencies the provision of a small, reliable padlock and of a'strong chain with welded or solid links in which the padlock can engage, is well worth while.

The first use is in preventing the car being driven away. This can be effected by passing the chain around the gear lever or under the clutch pedal and thence around the nearest object (such as' the steering column) —the padlock being used '.to unite two' convenient links.

Then, in order to leave the doors of a two-door car looked internally the chain can be passed across from the handle of one door and attached to that of the other by ineaiis of the padlock — the latter operation and the locking (or unlocking) being carried out by reaching through a rear side window. The arrangement has such advantages as preventing the ingress of ", mechanics' with gi'easy overalls -or of urchins who stand on one's scats; also of: allowing large articles to be left anywhere: in the car, or small ones safely out ■of reach from the rear side window. -On occaeion, merely securing the driver's door serves a purpose; in a small car, for. instance, .reaching the driver's seat via the other door may be difficult' or even impossible. , ;

A further application of the chain and padlock is. in preventing car movement by chaining one of the wheels; thus on a hill this arrangement has not only an anti-thief value, but also gives the assurance that the car cannot runaway.

Should one run the car oil the road into a field or on to a garden path (a step which one is forced at times to take, or even to choose as a lesser evil) chaining a wheel can be worth while even if other means for ensuring an easy mind are at hand. For this contingency the chain. can be used as a means for securing the gate. And then, dually, there are occasions (and dubious districts) which give one cause to secure the spare wheel or any bags or goods mounted on the luggage carrier. j